Improvement in potato-diggers



ing the wheel will turn on the axle.

timid sind JAMnsnAvIs, or snnaroeannw YORK.

Letters retenant. 111,437, dated January 31,1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-DIGGERS.

'.Lhe Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

To .all whom 'it may concern Be itknown that I, JAMnsDAv1s, ofthez townof Saratoga, in the county of- Saratoga and in the State of New York,have invented certainA new and useful Improvements in Machinery forDigging Potatoes; and d0 hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had. to theaccompanying drawing and to the letters of reference vmarked thereonmaking, a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists. in the construction and arrangementof a potato-digger, as-

will be. hereinafter fully set forth.

Inorder to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappcrtains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referringto the annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1- is a plan View, and

Figure2 a side view of my machine.

Figure 3 is an inside view of thehub of one of the driving-wheels.

A represents the frame of my machine, provided with suitablejournal-boxes, through which passes the axle B, having upon its 'endsthe driving-wheels C C.

The hubs of the wheels C C are box-shaped, opn` which-fits a feather onthe axle, thus allowing said cap to be moved ont or in on the axle, butpreventing it from revolving ou the same.

On the inside of the cap D is formed a ratchetwheel, a, vandin the hubof the wheel is a spring pawl, b, bearing or working in saidratchet-wheel inl such a manner that when the machine moves forward theaxle will be made to turn,- while when it is .back- Under each side ofthe frame A, in front of the axle, is suspended a journal-box, E, inwhich a.cr`ank shaft, G, has its bearings.

From the under side of each of the journal-bo xes E a metal strap, d,extends toward the rear, its rear end beingsuspend'ed and adjusted bymeans that will be hereinafter set forth.

On the rear ends of the straps (Zd are placed other journal-boxes, e c,for another crank-shaft, H.

On the two crank-shafts, G and H, are placed the pickers Y--I I, whichconsist each of a head, with teeth on the under side, said teeth beingcurved toward the rear.

' The pickers 1 I receive the necessary motion by means of a cog-wheel,J, upon the axle A, said wheel gearing with a pinion, f, upon the end ofa shaft, K, which runs parallel with the axle.

Upon the other end 'of the shaft K is a cog-wheel, L, which gears with apinion, g, on the end of the crank-shaft G, thus imparting thereq'niredfmotion.

Under the pickers I I is placed the plow or blade M, consisting of aV-shaped frame, with rods running back a suitable`dstan-c'e.` -Thisbladeis attached to and supported by twoupright bars', N N, secured at therear end of the blade, and passing through guides O 0 in the frame.- Thebars N N are slotted where' they pass through the guides, and a pin, h,is passed through said guide and slot.

To each of the bars N is'secured a beam, P, which runs forward under theframe A and pivoted under the frontend of the frame.

The upper ends of thevbars N N are connected by a cross-bar, R, and alever, S, pivoted ou said crossbar. The front end of this lever is, byrods k k, attached to the frame A, and by raising or lowering therea'rvend f said lever it follows that the plow or blade Mis adjusted toany height desired, and the front ends of the beams P P are at the sametime raised or lowered to'correspond.

From the bars N- N metal straps m lm, pass under thejournal-boxes e csupporting the same, said boxes being thus adjusted by the adjustingofthe blade M.

At the front ends of the beams P P are pivoted clevises n n, which arebolted to a cross-beam, T: To this beam the horses arc to be attached bya doubletree in the center.

On the upper sides of the beams P P, near the `front ends, is laid across-bar, V, ou top of which the tongue W is hinged or pivoted. .l

From the upper side of the tongue W a bar, X, extends a suitabledistance toward the rear, so as to rest upon the center of'a shaft, Y,placed at the front end of the frame A, when the machine is in opera-vtion.

On the center of the shaft Y is a canr or projection, p, and at one endis a lever, Z. The tongue, being held by the horses in its properposition, the part of the machine infront of the axle is raised up fromthe ground by bearing down upon the lever Z, which causes the projectionp to come nder the rear end of the bar X. The lever Z is held in this'position by a hook, of, on the frame A.

At a suitable point on each of the beams P is pivoted an arm, A', whichextends forward and is adj usted at any Vsuitable point by the slottedbar B', as' 'shown in iig. 2.

The front ends of the arms A form bearings for a shaft, upon which isplaced a roller, O', and\fromthe said arms rods s s extend outward, asseen'in fig. 1.

O n the under` side of the cross-beam-T are hinged Scrapers D', four innumber, two of which rest upon the shaft for the roller C', one on eachside thereof, and the other two rest on the Arods s s.

The roller C' and Scrapers D' are for the purpose of pressing clown andraking the weeds' so as not to clog the pickers I I in rear.

Having thus fully described my invention, v

IVhat I claim as new, andv desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l v1.The pickers I I, constructed as described, and

' operated by means of the crank-shafts G H, pinions 4. The arrangementof the plow or blade, M, slotted bars N N, with beams P P, guides O O,cross-bark, lever S, and rods k la, all substantially as and for th epurposes herein set forth.

5. The arrangement, with frame A of the potatod'igger, of the bar V,tongue W, bar X, shaft Y, projection j), and lever Z, all substantiallyas and for the purposes herein set lfort-h.

6. The combination of the pivoted arms A'A', slotted bars B B', rollerC', and sorapers- D' D', all suhstautially as and for the purposesherein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing' I, have hereunto set my handand seal this 25th day of May,

JAMES DAVIS. v[L s.] Witnesses:

. G. F. WATSON, l

J. H. DE RlDDER. V

